Tag: people

Just writing

The White Coat

nhpureandsimple

It was too warm when we got up this morning.

Is it still January? 

I wondered as time goes as fast as a speeding train these days.

I grabbed my phone but instead of checking the time,

I checked the weather.

It said it was snowing.

Snowing!

I sneaked a peek from behind the curtains,

and out there, all the trees were clothed in a white coat.

How beautiful and still they looked.

Would you believe me if I said they were happy?

But they were happy.

And that’s why I was happy too.

A few hours later,

the sun rose,

and the trees began to warm.

The white coat melted.

They were dripping

pure, cold water, 

and their leaves looked so fresh and green.

“Fun time,” they whispered.

And fun time we began.

A mini snowman was built,

and a snow fight we played.

Another gift from the New Year.

Thank you, January, for the warm white coat.

With warm thoughts,

Nahla

Just writing

The Moon

nhpureandsimple

It seems that January and I are going to play a special game this year.

Yesterday he sent his first greeting, enclosed in snow.

Today he wishes us good night through the full moon.

And what a lovely good night it is! 

I was just going to lock the window when that full, luminous creature showed up in the faraway sky. 

He pushed the dark clouds aside the very moment I was about to draw the curtains.

No words can describe either his beauty or my happiness.

It was a surprise.

A wonderful surprise!

The moon is there in the sky every night. 

Sometimes he hides.

Sometimes he tires.

And sometimes he sleeps.

But… how often do we notice it? 

How often do we pause to feel its light? 

How often do we appreciate its beauty? 

Do you know that in olden times, people were inspired by the moon?

It was a symbol of hope, dreams, and mystery.

But… doesn’t this make sense? 

Every great aspiration dreams higher and higher,

and every “higher” is there, up there in the sky.

Why don’t we just gaze up and contemplate?

With moony thoughts, 

Nahla

Just writing

The First Snow

nhpureandsimple

This was the first greeting on the second of January.

The first snow had landed, safe and sound.

Today painted a wintery image;

with heavy coats, beanies, and gloves;

footprints,

long traffic queues,

and hustle and bustle everywhere.

“It’s snowing!”

I heard everyone scream… figuratively. 

It was fun.

I heard them laughing too. Well … that was actually my daughter and me.

An hour later,

The sun shone on and threw its golden threads across the snow.

The snow glared, and its thin layer began to melt.

Alarmed, the fluffy clouds fled for their lives,

towards a different destination… perhaps yours.

And then… there was no way to make a snowman.

But… maybe January has better surprises than just a snowman.

With snowy thoughts,

Nahla

Just writing

So… how was your first morning in 2026? 

nhpureandsimple

Quiet.

Really quiet. 

It seems even the birds decided to wake up late or maybe take the day off, just as humans do on the first of January. 

There was no transport noise.

No people walking around.

Surprisingly, it was sunny,

but it was also bitterly cold.

I looked out of the window and inhaled all that pure quietness.

No picture can capture the beauty of a quiet, fresh morning the way your own eyes do.

January, the most hopeful month, has just arrived and opened its doors with new hopes and dreams.

How can people trade the first morning of January for the last night of December? 

I have no idea!

I wondered for a moment, then hurried off to make breakfast. 

With quiet thoughts,

Nahla

Just writing

With hope and peace

nhpureandsimple

Over 2025, I often ended my posts with ”with hope and peace.”  

Did you notice that?

Actually, I am not sure if it started at the beginning or somewhere halfway through. It just slipped there one day at the end of a post, and I stayed with it.

It was a desperate attempt to support innocent people who have suffered and are still suffering all over the world, simply to live a safe and decent life.

Perhaps… you can think of it as a whispered prayer— one you, as a reader, might feel and answer by whispering back ”Amen.”

Do you believe in the power of the prayers?

I do.

May the new year be full of hope and peace!

Amen.

And… 

With a new beginning,

Nahla

Just writing

Is It Already the End of 2025?

nhpureandsimple

It feels like only yesterday that 2025 began.

But isn’t this life? 

Everything moves on.

Good and bad moments go on.

And here we are again, thinking about new resolutions for the new year.

Honestly, I can’t even remember the ones I planned last year. 

They seem to evaporate into thin air the moment I say them.

But… this doesn’t really matter.

I’ve achieved what I could achieve.

And I’ll always think of new ones.

Anyway… 

It’s wonderful to have plans, and even better to follow and achieve them. 

But… isn’t it a good idea to add some flexibility to this long list of goals?

A few possibilities,

And perhaps a few… changes

They say the straight line gives the shortest distance.

But we can never know what we will experience along the way, can we?

Unexpected things might happen.

And sometimes the unexpected is far better than the expected, for at least this unexpected is out of our control.

So… yes 2025 is almost done, but 2026 will be knocking on the door soon.

Bringing new dreams, new plans, and new surprises.

But, isn’t a new year just like a new day? 

Both pass in a blink of an eye.

And at the end of each, we usually look back and see how much we’ve achieved out of our list of plans?

But what about the things that never make it onto the list; those things we try our best to maintain and protect?

Things like our peace of mind, our sanity, our health, our safety, our resilience, … 

Or what about the things that we attain without buying, without forcing, without acting?

Things like love, respect, and loyalty. 

Aren’t these things far more precious than the goals we write down on our lists? 

By the end of any long day, some people have a good night sleep, while others can’t even close their eyes to sleep.

So… wouldn’t it be better to appreciate what can be lived, rather than what can be simply written on a list? 

With hope and peace,

Nahla

daily prompt

Happiness and You

nhpureandsimple

When are you most happy?

Don’t you regret wasting your time on things that would never add to your wellbeing? 

Aren’t you happiest when you challenge yourself to stop things that steal your time, drain your energy, and dull your mood? 

Suppose that instead of scrolling through social media, you choose to stop and switch to something else, like writing a post right now. Wouldn’t you be happier? 

By the way we lose nothing by pausing social media. When we come back, everything is exactly the same with just more copies.

Wouldn’t you be happiest when you challenge yourself with a task and fulfil it.

But of course, it’s normal to be upset, disappointed, and little dramatic when the goal isn’t achieved. But at least the attempt itself is a good compensation.

Wouldn’t you be happiest when you say “no” to things that don’t suit you or apply to your life.

Boundaries exist for a reason, don’t they? 

Wouldn’t you be happiest when you say “sorry” and truly feel it after you’ve done something wrong or hurt someone’s feelings?

This is a reassuring sign that your good nature overpowers your evil side.

Wouldn’t you be happiest when you count your blessings and realise how many times you’ve been saved and how much love you’ve been receiving.

All you need is to have faith.

And…

Wouldn’t you be happiest when you really want to be happy? 

Happiness is simple, and it is also contagious.

With hope and peace,

Nahla

daily prompt

Books and People

nhpureandsimple

Are you a good judge of character?

You can’t know a book by its cover. 

I totally agree.

Some people give a book a try, read a few pages and then put it aside if it doesn’t suit their liking.

And some people( like me) stubborn enough to read a book to the very end, whether they enjoy it or not. To be honest, I sometimes speed up the process by skipping a few parts. The recent book I finished was not boring, but it was a historical fiction. I like fiction, but history from the seventh century was a bit too long and old to enjoy. So, I scanned it until I came to the final chapter, which I read fully because it was just a few pages. Then I breathed a sigh of relief. 

They say people are like books; you don’t know them until you read through the pages. But sometimes you can know people at first glace. This is not judgment. No. This is simply how you feel about them. Not “good” or “bad,” but companionable or not. How do you feel at this first sight? Happy, safe, nervous, miserable, worried, relaxed…

And then you can say; I like them or I don’t. 

Isn’t that the most honest judgment we can make? 

This “like” or “don’t like” is explained and justified only later when life shows you whether your first impression was right or wrong. 

With hope and peace,

Nahla

Just writing

Some doors…

nhpureandsimple

They say: some doors will open to you because of your prayers, some because of your kindness, and some because of your faithful heart.

And may I add, … and some doors open simply because of your resilience. 

And you know what? These doors open wide with a genuine welcome. They spill light. They smell of flowers. And they are full of hope.

These doors can’t be mistaken for dark doors. For there are dark doors too, but they open only a crack. They are pitch-black. They smell of stagnant water. And, they are full of troubles.

But we always have a choice: which one to be, which path to tread, and which doors to knock on.

With hope and peace,

Nahla

Philosophical musings

“How cruel is man’s ignorance!”

nhpureandsimple

Isn’t this quote so true? ​

You know… ignorance isn’t just the lack of study, learning, or certificates.

No, ignorance is the lack of understanding, of seeing and feeling what is true and real.

By the way, don’t you agree that education is not the opposite of ignorance? In other words, a farmer with basic education may have more knowledge than a qualified teacher. The farmer’s knowledge is usually enriched by wisdom, while the teacher’s is measured by certificates. 

So… can we agree that the opposite of ignorance is understanding?

Education, power, wealth, and fame do not necessarily produce knowledgeable people. Ironically, these supposed sources of knowledge feed and entertain ignorance more than they cultivate true knowledge. 

And this type of ignorance is available in abundance, but it is deaf and blind.  

It spreads lies, hides the truth, and fights against cultivating knowledge.

That’s why ignorance is cruel, so cruel indeed.

But there is some good news. Over the years, ignorance has always surrendered to knowledge. Not only that, this cruel ignorance has lived by the light of knowledge, yet it never recognised its validity until it was too late. 

All we need to avoid falling into the trap of ignorance is to understand, and to see and feel things not only with our minds, but also with our hearts.

And…

Remember, knowledge is understanding, and understanding is the first step towards wisdom, and wisdom is light, and there’s always light at the end of the tunnel.

With hope and peace,

Nahla